The Beat Goes On

By Miguel Amante, Communications Coordinator

Saikou Saho sits patiently in the CAMH Queen Street Patient Library amid a collection of Djembe drums – hand-made instruments of stretched animal hide over wooden bases – waiting for his first class of the day. Saikou is an experienced drummer from Gambia and the owner of African Drums & Art Crafts, but today he’s here to host the first of many introductory drumming sessions sponsored by Gifts of Light, working with VIBE Arts. 

As people begin to enter the room, the smile on his face spreads, and it’s infectious. Whatever apprehensions people have slowly melt away as he invites his new students to take a drum and find a seat among the chairs that form the drum circle. 

“Here, try this one. The size might be better for you since you’re a bit taller,” he tells one patient, while handing out drums to the class. He makes small talk, asking people about their musical background and learning more about his new students. And while some of todays’ participants have had musical training, everyone is an equal, and everyone is welcome. 

After a brief introduction on how to position the Djembe and how to properly strike it with your hands and fingers, the beat starts and the drums come to life.

Boom... Boom… Boom… 

The circle plays in unison, slowly and tentatively at first, but gaining in confidence and power after each beat. As the sharp, rhythmic pounding of the Djembe fills the normally silent library space, the participants are asked to sing a short introduction about themselves to the beat of the drums. It’s an exercise that seems daunting, but the patients take to it willingly as minds and mouths race to find the words to fill the rhythm.

Over the course of 45 minutes, Saikou plays percussion solos as the group holds the rhythm, and other instruments are brought out, adding to the melodic cacophony that drifts out into the hallway between the Community Centre and Unit 4. People passing by poke their heads in out of curiosity; children, accompanied by their caregivers from the nearby daycare join the drum circle; patients get up to express themselves through dance, while participants happily continue the beat. 

“I’ve been bringing patients each time they organize it, and I also run a drumming circle on my unit,” says Man-Man Choi, a Recreation Therapist in CAMH’s Geriatric Program. Drumming has been beneficial for her patients in a variety of ways: “Socially, everyone is participating, and it’s an opportunity for pro social behaviours like listening to each other or waiting for your turn when doing solos. Cognitively, it’s so good for seniors because it requires hand-eye coordination, active listening, recalling rhythm and repeating pattern. Physically, the body is moving and we’re exercising muscle control and coordination. Emotionally, it’s a very happy program – things get silly or funny at times, and it creates an uplifting and bright atmosphere.”

“This is the third time we are offering the Djembe drumming group to patients,” says Ashley Hong, Project Coordinator for Gifts of Light. “We became connected with VIBE Arts through one of our donors, and the drumming group was offered as part of their programs. From there, we started to make it an annual drumming program open to everyone.”

And while the opportunity to play the drums is limited to 45-minute weekly sessions, for patients and participants, the music will continue to resonate in their hearts well after the last drum beat has faded. 

This program is made possible thanks to the generous donations made towards CAMH Gifts of Light program. To support CAMH Gifts of Light, click here.